Extra-Curricular

After School Clubs

Blatchington Mill School runs several after school clubs, covering the entire spectrum of interests from cycling to hip-hop, book clubs to baking, science to doodling... with over 50 clubs running throughout the year, there is an extraordinary amount for students to get involved in once the bell rings at 3pm.

Our strong links with community projects means that our facilities are used year round and often until the early evening, including opportunities for parents to get involved with singing or sport.

Trips and Events

In addition to the trips that are curriculum based, there are reward trips and special events organised.

Our Windmill Theatre hosts fun evenings of talent shows, an annual fashion show, dance show and quiz nights (organised by FAB). Students are encouraged to get involved in all aspects of our theatre productions with backstage and front of house opportunities, which are a great lesson in teamwork and organisation.

There are opportunities for 'reward' trips for year groups and our Year 11 Prom, which is a spectacular evening for our students after the GCSEs have been completed, with dazzling outfits and all manner of transport arrives for this special occasion.

Charity Fund Raising

Blatch's students raise several thousands each year for local, national and international charities through various events and projects. Apart from most of these events having an emphasis on fun, they raise awareness of issues that affect society - another important consideration for our young people of today.

All the tutor groups have a chosen charity and their events vary from cake sales to imaginative 'Send a Secret Valentine' services, 'Who's the Baby?' and so much more.

Christmas 2017 was a particularly busy time for charity at Blatch. Not only did our students and staff make a huge contribution to the Hangleton and Portslade food banks, but we also raised money for the Martlets Hospice through our 'Christmas in the Quad' event and even held a Community Christmas Dinner for members of our community who would otherwise be alone at Christmas.

Some groups also raise money in order to take an active part in charitable work abroad, in places such as Borneo, India and Africa, raising money to secure for their own places on volunteer trips through recognised organisations. In particular, our Citizenship students became Youth Ambassadors for Free the Children and spoke at the London WE Day along with other notable speakers about the importance of educating on worldwide and community issues.

Competitions

There are many opportunities for students to take part in competitions and we also take part in some national competitions aimed at getting younger people involved. Our students have had great successes, including designing a new poster for British Rail to beating professionals in a major IT competition!

Our RIC holds regular competitions and quizzes to encourage students to explore the literary world and the school gets fully involved with important events such as Poetry Day and World Book Night.

Our PE department is extremely active in local leagues and county-wide competitive sport. Our teams perform well and have great support from other students.

Workshops

Blatchington Mill is very privileged to regularly have speakers offer their time to speak or to run active workshops. Many return each year to inspire and educate, such as Dorit Oliver-Wolff who speaks with our students about her personal story of the holocaust.

From Olympic medalists, authors, actors, lawyers, musicians, poets and politicians, this addition to the classroom experience is invaluable, offering insight, inspiration and aspiration for our students.